Denver Film Festival Selections Include ‘The Piano Lesson,’ ‘September 5’ and ‘The Brutalist’

Denver Film Festival Selections Include ‘The Piano Lesson,’ ‘September 5’ and ‘The Brutalist’

As a long-time film enthusiast with a soft spot for exceptional performances and unique storytelling, I find myself thoroughly impressed by the diverse lineup of honorees at this year’s Denver Film Festival (DFF). The festival has truly outdone itself, bringing together an eclectic mix of established stars and rising talents that are guaranteed to leave audiences spellbound.


47th Denver Film Festival is now just a month away from its debut, and the organizers have unveiled the selected films, honorees, and jury members for this year’s event.

Beginning on November 1st, the Denver Film festival will commence with the premiere of Malcolm Washington’s first directorial effort, “The Piano Lesson,” which is available on Netflix. This August Wilson adaptation will be showcased at the MCA Denver’s Holiday Theater. In addition to Samuel L. Jackson, Danielle Deadwyler, John David Washington, Ray Fisher, Corey Hawkins, Stephan James, and Erykah Badu, the film stars a talented ensemble of actors.

The festival takes place from November 1st to the 10th, and during this period, a total of 185 films including features, documentaries, and shorts will be shown in Colorado’s capital city. Justin Kurzel’s movie, titled “The Order“, featuring Jude Law as an FBI agent pursuing a white supremacist group in the Pacific Northwest, will be the main presentation on November 8th. This film, which also stars Nicholas Hoult and Jurnee Smollett, is rooted in Colorado as it’s based on the nonfiction book co-written by Kevin Flynn, “The Silent Brotherhood: Inside America’s Racist Underground“. Flynn was a reporter for the Rocky Mountain News and currently serves as a member of Denver City council.

DFF (Deadline Film Festival) will conclude with Tim Fehlbaum’s film titled “September 5,” featuring Peter Sarsgaard, John Magaro, Ben Chaplin, and Leonie Benesch. This Paramount production revolves around the tragic terrorist attack during the 1972 Munich Olympics, offering a unique perspective by portraying the events as seen through the lens of ABC Sports’ broadcast hub at the time, as they were covering the 1972 Summer Olympics.

Denver Film Festival Selections Include ‘The Piano Lesson,’ ‘September 5’ and ‘The Brutalist’

In addition to the films already announced for this year’s program, we have a variety of high-profile movies that have recently been showcased at festivals such as Telluride, Toronto, Venice, and New York. The DFF lineup features titles like “Better Man,” an experimental biopic about British pop sensation Robbie Williams; Brady Corbet’s film “The Brutalist” starring Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, and Joe Alwyn; Pedro Almodovar’s first English language production, “The Room Next Door,” starring Tilda Swinton and Julianne Moore; Jacques Audiard’s “Emilia Perez” with Zoe Saldaña, Karla Sofia Gascon, and Selena Gomez in the lead roles; Steve McQueen’s “Blitz” featuring Saoirse Ronan; Paul Schrader’s film “Oh Canada” starring Richard Gere, Uma Thurman, and Jacob Elordi; Marielle Heller’s “Nightbitch” starring Amy Adams and Gia Coppola’s “The Last Showgirl” featuring Pamela Anderson, Dave Bautista, Jamie Lee Curtis, Kiernan Shipka, Jason Schwartzman, Brenda Song, and Billie Lourd. Other notable films include Andrea Arnold’s “Bird” starring Barry Keoghan and Franz Rogowski, Walter Salles’ “I’m Still Here,” and Jesse Eisenberg’s “A Real Pain” with the filmmaker himself alongside Kieran Culkin.

Denver Film Festival Selections Include ‘The Piano Lesson,’ ‘September 5’ and ‘The Brutalist’

The Denver Film Festival (DFF) has chosen a group of talented individuals to receive distinguished accolades during the 2024 event. Among them, Patricia Clarkson will receive the Cassavetes Award for her significant contributions to cinema. This esteemed actress will be honored following a grand screening of the film “Lilly” at the MCA Denver’s Holiday Theater. Marianne Jean-Baptiste will also be recognized with an award for excellence in acting, after a screening of her collaboration with Mike Leigh’s latest work, “Hard Truths.” The multi-talented Jesse Tyler Ferguson from “Modern Family” will receive the third CinemaQ LaBahn Ikon Film Award. This honor is given to recognize exceptional creative excellence and impact in representing the LGBTQ community. The festival will feature Ferguson’s work in the films “All That We Love” and “It’s Okay.” Another notable figure, RaMell Ross, director of “The Nickel Boys,” will be awarded for his directing skills and his film will be screened at DFF.

Denver Film Festival Selections Include ‘The Piano Lesson,’ ‘September 5’ and ‘The Brutalist’

Jason Reitman has been touring with his new movie titled “Saturday Night“, and it’s set to screen in Denver, where members of its cast and creative team will be awarded the 5280 Award by DFF for their efforts. This film, directed by Reitman along with Gil Kenan from a script they co-wrote, is inspired by real events that unfolded in the final 90 minutes before the premiere of the legendary sketch comedy series.

Other recipients: Actor-turned-filmmaker Nnamdi Asomugha is set to get the Breakthrough Director Award after a showing of his first film, “The Knife”; Ryan Destiny will be presented with the Rising Star Award following a grand presentation of Rachel Morrison’s “The Fire Inside”; Cristiana Dell’Anna will be bestowed the Maria and Tomasso Maglione Italian Filmmaker Award after a screening of “Cabrini”; and video artist Cecelia Condit will receive the Brakhage Vision Award. (Paraphrased from original text)

As a passionate film enthusiast, I can’t help but express my excitement about this year’s festival. Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Patricia Clarkson, and Marianne Jean-Baptiste always elevate any project they’re involved in, and I have high expectations that their talents will shine just as brightly here.

2024’s festival jury lineup features Joanna Calo, the mastermind behind “The Bear” TV series, Daniel D’Addario of Variety, Marcus Jones from IndieWire, Taylor John Smith, who starred in “Where the Crawdads Sing,” Carl Ogawa of Berlanti Prods., filmmaker Gabriela Ortega known for “Huella,” Briana Rodriguez from Backstage Magazine, acting coach Jean-Louis Rodrigue, TV personality Amy Schneider famous for Jeopardy!, Rachel Walker who programs Palm Springs ShortFest, Monique Walton, a producer for Sing Sing, and Abbey White of The Hollywood Reporter.

Tickets go on sale to the general public on Oct. 4.

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2024-10-01 21:26